UFC Fight Night 51 results: George Sullivan shuts down Igor Araujo in second

UFC Fight Night 51 results: George Sullivan shuts down Igor Araujo in second

BRASILIA, Brazil – Anyone who doubts that George Sullivan has power, whether on his feet or on the mat, need only look at his ground-and-pound finish of Igor Araujo.

With Araujo (25-7 MMA, 2-1 UFC) covering up from half-guard, defenses seemingly intact, Sullivan (16-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) punched right through them with rapid-fire right hands until Araujo’s body went limp and referee Fernando Yamasaki had no choice but to call a stop to it at 2:31 of round two.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 51 event at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Sullivan’s offense might have finished the fight, but it took some time to warm up after a back-and-forth first round that saw Araujo make good use of a creative ground game to keep him on his toes. After trading top position in what was largely a grappling battle in the opening round, Sullivan seemed to commit to his ground-and-pound in the second.

Whether Araujo was too slow to react or just too wounded to respond to the attack, it’s difficult to say. But as Sullivan postured up in his half-guard and rained down right hands, Araujo lay motionless with his arms up to block his face. One right hand seemed to sneak around his defenses and into the equilibrium destroying neighborhood of the ear, which is when Araujo’s arms fell to his sides and Sullivan sealed the win with a couple more well-placed rights to the chin.

“He’s a tough guy, has great jiu-jitsu, but I was able to knock him out, and it was awesome to fight in Brazil,” Sullivan said. “Even being booed, I had fun. The people here are one of the best crowds I’ve ever seen in my life. It was an honor. I hope to come back someday.”

Sullivan has now won eight straight. Araujo loses for the first time since October of 2010.